YANGON: Hundreds of homes burned and gunfire rang out as sectarian violence raged for a fifth day between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in western Myanmar on Thursday, testing the country's nascent democracy.

Security forces struggled to stem Myanmar's worst communal unrest since clashes in June killed more than 80 people and displaced at least 75,000. The latest violence has spread over several towns, including commercially important Kyaukpyu, where a multibillion dollar China-Myanmar pipeline starts.

The violence is one of the biggest tests yet of a new reformist government that has vowed to forge unity in one of Asia's most ethnically diverse countries.

The United Nations called for calm in volatile Rakhine state, citing reports of hundreds of houses destroyed since Sunday and large numbers of people seeking refuge in over-crowded camps near the state capital, Sittwe.

"The UN is gravely concerned about reports of a resurgence of inter-communal conflict in several areas in Rakhine State which has resulted in deaths and has forced thousands of people including women and children to flee their homes," Ashok Nigam, UN resident and humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, said in a statement.

Access to Rakhine State was restricted and information hard to verify, but witnesses said at least three people were killed on Thursday, bringing this week's death toll to at least five. There were widespread unconfirmed reports of razed and burning homes, gunfights and Rohingya fleeing by boat.

A representative of the Wan Lark foundation, which helps ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, said local people told him trouble had flared in the early hours of Thursday in Kyauk Taw, a town north of the state capital, Sittwe.

"Fires started in Pike Thel village. About 20 houses were burned. There was gunfire reported and, as far as we know, three Rakhines were shot dead on the spot," Tun Min Thein told Reuters by telephone.

China investment

A senior official from the Rakhine State government also said three people had been killed in Kyauk Taw. Witnesses reported soldiers arriving and at least one road closed.

In Yathedaung, a town northwest of Sittwe, security forces opened fire in a Rohingya district and about 10 houses were burned, Tun Min Thein added, reporting what he had been told by locals. Fires also were seen in Pauktaw, a town east of Sittwe.

That followed violence in Kyaukpyu, about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of Sittwe, where official media said one person had been killed, 28 wounded and 800 houses burned down.

The area is crucial to China's most strategic investment in Myanmar: twin pipelines that will stretch from Kyaukpyu on the Bay of Bengal to China's energy-hungry western provinces, bringing oil and natural gas to one of China's most undeveloped regions.

Rohingyas are officially stateless. Buddhist-majority Myanmar's government regards the estimated 800,000 Rohingyas in the country as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship. Bangladesh has refused to grant Rohingyas refugee status since 1992.

Around 50 boats carrying Rohingyas were reported to have left the Kyaukpyu area on Wednesday and were spotted apparently heading for Sittwe, Tun Min Thein said.

It was unclear what set off the latest arson and killing that started on Sunday. In June, tensions had flared after the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman that was blamed on Muslims, but there was no obvious spark this time.

Sittwe was the scene of violence in June but has escaped the latest unrest. Thousands lost their homes in June and many Rohingyas left or were moved out of the town by the authorities.

Curfews were imposed in Minbya and Mrauk Oo north of Sittwe from Monday after violence there. It was unclear if the authorities had extended that to other areas.

Thein Sein's government has negotiated ceasefires with most ethnic rebel groups that have fought for autonomy for half a century but has done nothing to address the Rohingya problem.

Rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on Myanmar to amend or repeal a 1982 citizenship law to end the Rohingyas' stateless status.

Sources Here:

Thursday, 25th October 2012 Kyauk Taw, Arakan- Starting 5:30 AM this morning, Bengali Rakhine terrorists in Kyaukaw townships have been surrounding Rohingya villages such as Paik Saik Rua Thaik and Lat Song Kok villages. Besides, in the attacks against Rohingya villagers by Bengali Rakhine Terrorists and Burmese Military, three Rohingyas died and other three injured. The profiles of the killed Rohingyas are:

1) Abdu Min Son of SiaRu (38) years

2) Bilal Son of Bali (18) years 

3) Zalal Son of Jamal Uddin (25) years

Besides, six Rohingyas got injured in the village, Paik Saik Rua Thaik. The number of killed and injured Rohingyas will be many but due to communication problems, we can’t confirm the exact numbers.

Kyauk Phru, Arakan- Since yesterday early morning, Rakhine terrorists have burnt down one Rohingya quarter and a village called Zailla Fara @Paik Seik Rua out of total three Rohingya residentials in the town. Fire brigade fueled the fire caught Rohingya villages using patrol instead of putting off the fire. About 2000 Rohingyas and Kamans together escaped to the sea by 50 boats.

According to the latest news, fourteen boats loaded with escaping Kamans and Rohingyas docked at the Akyab (Sittwe) beach. But the navy is not allowing them to get on the shore without the permission of Naypyitaw. In another boat trying to sail off, all Rohingya and Kaman men were killed by the terrorists on the spot and their women were raped and gang-raped. The children in the boat were also killed. Meanwhile, there is no news of other 35 boats and might be still be floating at the sea.

More than 600 Rohingyas and Kamans trying to escape the mass killings by other 20 boats were killed in one scene took place earlier as their boats were torched using fire-rockets by the terrorists.

Pauktaw, Arakan- There were 100 Rohingyas, from Quarter No. 3, Pauktaw Township, trying to escape the slaughters and get into Akyab (Sittwe) using four engineless boats. A group of armed Rakhine terrorists stopped them on their ways and shifted all women and children to their boat and killed all Rohingya young and elderly men inhumanely in the river. Only a young boy escaped from the apartheid and is being examined by the military official in Quarter No. 4 of Pauktaw. Nothing has been known about Rohingya women and Children abducted by the terrorists.

Mre-Bun, Arakan- Out of the five Rohingya quarters with about 600 homes and 4500 population in Mre-Bun Township, four were burnt down by the Bengali Rakhine terrorists. Many Rohingyas and Kamans were killed.

As of today, around 3913 Rohingyas gathered and crowded in the remaining unburned village called No. 5- Taung Chay Quarter. Since thousands of Rakhine terrorists have been surrounding the village since yesterday and because of continual attacks against Rohingyas, 25 Rohingyas died and other 300 got injured. Out of the killed 25 Rohingyas, two were infants. They have no more food rations and they will die due to starvation if the situation continues.

It is very difficult to get information out of these regions because of the lack of good telecommunication structures.

Rathedaung, Arakan- About 6000 Rakhine extremists gathered in Rathedaung today. While they were about to attack Rohingyas, Military stopped them (Rakhines) saying “your number is not enough to kill Kulars especially if they combine with Kulars from Buthidaung. Gather more people and attack Kulars.” Therefore, the attack against Rohingyas can break out anytime in Rathedaung.

Maung Daw, Arakan- Authority is shifting all Rakhine women and children from their respective villages and gathering in the downtown with full security, while leaving Rakhine men behind. According to Rohingyas in Maung Daw, it is the preliminary step to carry out apartheid against them.

Besides, a joint force of military, police, Security Guards and NaSaKa etc is harassing and raping Rohingya women and girls passing by their camp nearby the Black Bridge located beyond Myoma Kayindan.

Till date, six Rohingya villages in Min-Bya Township and two in Pattharkilla (Mrauk-U) township were demolished by the Rakhine terrorists. About 4000 Rohingya houses and a dozen of religious sites were razed to the ground.

(Note: This is updated news received through telephones and emails)

Compiled by M.S. Anwar and Nyi Nyi Aung

RB News Desk

John Sparks reports on "disturbing allegations" from Burma suggesting that a major new wave of violence, killings and house burnings in the country's northwest Rakhine State is taking place.


Senior members of the Muslim Rohingya community say that more than 100 Rohingya were killed on Tuesday and 440 houses burnt by ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in a village called Yaing Thay, in the northern part of the state. Local Rohingya have accused the police of participating in the violence and shooting members of their community.

The allegations continue - community leaders claim 350 homes, two mosques and a madrassa were burnt in the village of Thayet Oat on 22 October and they say 200 Rohingya houses were burnt in a place called Aung Dine later that same day.

These villages are situated in an area known as Minbya Township and if these reports are true, it suggests that a concerted campaign has begun to drive Rohingya out of this district. Remember though, that these people don't have anywhere to go - Rohingya are denied citizenship in Burma and no other country has expressed a willingness to take a group that numbers close to a million people.

Verifying these claims will prove extremely difficult. Security in northern parts of Rakhine State - which abuts the border with Bangladesh - is extremely tight. NGO officials including those from the UN are granted limited access on safety grounds while independent observers are effectively banned. Yet if these allegations are true, it would constitute the worst outbreak of violence since June when fighting left some than 75,000 Rohingya and 5,000 Buddhists homeless.

International concern

International actors are already worried about the failure of Burma's political leaders to support the Rohingya. The President, Thein Sein and the much celebrated opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have said little about the crisis in the Northwest and this perceived ambivalence has consequences - arguably, it is contributing to a climate where ethnic Buddhists in Rakhine State feel their Muslim neighbours are legitimate targets.

You can understand the politicians' approach in terms of political expediency - most people in Burma argue the Rohingya are unwelcome and a series of demonstrations in major cities over the last few months has driven the point home.

President Sein has responded to - or capitalised on the popular mood recently by reneging on an agreement to let the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation open an office in the nation’s capital Yangon. The OIC, with 57 member nations, wants to help the Rohingya by distributing food aid and medical supplies. President Sein said opening an office would not be "in accordance with the people's desires".

The people's desires must be challenged however – if Burmese leaders do not make a stand, the inspirational story of Burma's transition from tyranny to democracy may be lost.

Sources Here:

We are deeply concerned over the reports that Bengali Rakhines had started attacks on Rohingya Muslims and Kaman Muslims yet again in Minbya Township and Myauk U Townships on October 21, 2012. At least four villages were burnt down and scores of people killed. Exact casualty report is not available at the moment. Burmese security forces did nothing to prevent these attacks. Nor they tried to protect these vulnerable and helpless Rohingya and Kaman Muslims. Government had claimed that Arakan State is coming into normalcy but in reality the situation is becoming more gravely day after day. These atrocities were being committed under the open eyes of the security forces. Confirmed reports indicate that Bengali Rakhines are trying to spread this violence across the whole Arakan State.

Arakan State government and President Thein Sein’s central government is doing nothing to prevent these atrocities on Rohingya Muslims. Racist Bengali Rakhines were given license to kill Muslims, burn their houses and loot their properties, rape under minor girls and women. Even security forces are committing such crimes every day. So Rohingya Muslims have no confidence in Burmese security forces since they are fully collaborating with the Bengali Rakhine vigilantes.

Almost one million Rohingya Muslims are living in dire situation throughout Arakan State. In Sittwe Township Aung Mingalar is the only Muslim quarter remaining in downtown. All other Muslim quarters were burnt down and all their residents were herded to temporary shelters. Bengali Rakhines are continuously trying to drive Aung Mingalar residents to the camps situated at the outskirt of Sittwe Township. Monks and Bengali Rakhines have openly demonstrated to drive them out and they are also demanding the segregation of Muslims and Buddhists in Arakan State setting a new precedent for apartheid. Bengali Rakhines and monks also tried to torch historical main mosque of Sittwe after the incident in neighboring Bangladesh as a retaliatory action. They have desecrated many sacred books belonged to the mosque. They also tried to burn Maung Daw main mosque. We request Bangladesh government to open a proper channel with Burmese government and try to solve Rohingya crisis.

Every now and then, Bengali Rakhines and radical monks hold meetings and issue warning to the Buddhist population that sell goods to Muslims or do business and deal with Muslims. Anyone who disobeys will meet severe punishment. Rohingyas are totally isolated in the whole Arakan State. Rakhine Bengalis and Monks also block flow of food and medical supplies to the Rohingya areas. They even block aid agencies from reaching Rohingyas. Finally even Burmese government bowed to the demand of some radical monks to bar OIC from opening liaison Offices in Sittwe and Yangon to supervise aid supplies to both effected communities. According to our information children and senior peoples are dying every day due to the lack of food and medical supplies. In such condition death by starvation is imminent for the entire Rohingya population.

We would like to earnestly request UN, EU, USA, UK, OIC and ASEAN countries to urgently call for an emergency meeting of United Nations Security Council and deploy international peace keeping force and observers in Arakan State to prevent the further loss of lives and property of Rohigya and Kaman Muslims.

We observed that international community had ignored all previous pleas made by Rohingya community around the world to deploy UN peace keeping force in Arakan State. If international community has no intention to deploy UN peace keeping force, it can at least implement what President Thein Sein had once told to the head of UNHCR; to place all Rohingya Muslims in camps under the supervision of UNHCR where they can have food and health care for survival and later resettle them to third countries. Whatever you do, please do it as soon as possible to save one million Rohingya Muslims from extinction.

Secretary General 

The European Rohingya Council (ERC)

RB News Desk.

Date: 23 October 2012, It is learned that Rohingya MPs U Aung Zaw Win, Pyithu Hluttaw Representative of Maungdaw Constituency, U Shwe Maung, Pyithu Hluttaw Representative of Buthidaung Constituency and U Htay Win, Amyothar Hluttaw Representative of Rakhine State Constituency No 7 submitted a letter to the Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann and Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker on Violences againt Muslims Rohingyas by Terrorist Groups in Minbya and Mrauk Oo Townships of Rakhine State, Myanmar.

It is also learned that the letter describes that the time is reached to protect Minority Muslim Rohingya in all townships of Rakhine State and to urge and direct concerned authority to take action immeditely.

According to the reliable source, the three Rohingya MPs are discussing with concerned high ranking officials to submit an Emergency Proposal to Pyithu Hluttaw tomorrow for complete Rule of Law and protection of Minority Muslim Rohingya by Central Government.

The Rohingya Information Collection Team
Yangon, Myanmar

RB News Desk

An elderly Muslim Rohingya man outside his tent at the Dabang Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, located on the outskirts of the city of Sittwe on October 10, 2012. (file photo)
At least eleven Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar have been killed after extremist Buddhists set fire to their houses in two Muslim villages in the city of Sittwe in the western Rakhine state, a report says.

The incident occurred when a number of Buddhits backed by army and border forces set fire to houses of Muslims in the villages of Mamra and Mraut late Sunday, Radio Banga reported on Monday.

Myanmar army forces allegedly provided the Buddhists with big containers of petrol to set ablaze the houses of Muslim villagers and force them to flee their houses.
The silence of the human rights organizations towards abuses against the Rohingya Muslims has emboldened the extremist Buddhists and Myanmar’s government forces.

The Buddhist-majority government of Myanmar refuses to recognize Rohingyas and has classified them as illegal migrants, even though the Rohingyas are said to be Muslim descendants of Persian, Turkish, Bengali, and Pathan origin, who migrated to Myanmar as early as the 8th century.

According to reports, thousands of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims are living in dire conditions in refugee camps after government forces and Buddhist extremists started burning down their villages on August 10.

Reports say some 650 Rohingyas have been killed in the Rakhine state in the west of the country in recent months. This is while 1,200 others are missing and 80,000 more have been displaced.

Sources Here:

Monday, 22nd October 2012 ,Maung Daw, Arakan- This morning at 4 am, NaSaKa, Border security affairs broke into the house of a Rohingya woman called Noor Begum, wife of U Si Ruu at the village of U Ching Cha@ Bura Shidda Fara in Northern Maung Daw. They punched and beat her so much so that she passed away at 8:30 am in the morning.

“NaSaKas entered Noor Begum’s house in U Ching Cha@ Bura Shidda Fara in Maung Daw at 4 AM this morning. They accused her of using Bangla Mobile Phones and demanded her to give the phone (which actually she didn’t have) to them. When she replied “I don’t use Bangla Mobile Phones,” she was severely punched and beaten. As a result, she lost her consciousness and passed away at 8:30 AM of the morningm” said MYARF in Maung Daw.

Since yesterday, the violence against Rohingyas resurfaced. Many Rohingyas have been killed and their villages in Minbya and Mro-Haung Townships have been being burnt down. Now, Arakan has become a new Bosnia for Rohingyas. Hardly anyone seems to care about them.

Compiled by M.S. Anwar

Naypyitaw - Myanmar President Thein Sein on Sunday urged his people to change their attitude towards Rohingya-Muslims, signalling a major change in government policy on the minority that has been suffering from discrimination for decades.

The president had previously said he wanted the United Nations’s refugees agency to resettle the Rohingyas abroad or set up permanent refugees camps for them, drawing international criticism.

Some 800,000 Rohingya-Muslims live in Rakhine State in the northwest near Bangladesh. They were made stateless by the 1982 Citizens Law and remain vulnerable to persecution and rights abuses.

"We need to change of our mindset towards them," he said. "We cannot love only our own people." The president said the government should promote more education and job opportunities in the Rakhine State along the border with Bangladesh.//DPA

Sources Here:

22-10-2012, Min Bya, Arakan 10:30 AM, The whole Rohingya Muslim Village Tract, Thayet Aouk (Tharek Aouk) of Min Bya Township with over 450-households has been burn down. There about 20 Rohingyas were killed. The villages have been burnt down by the thousands of Rakhine terrorists since the early morning. No protection from the securities.

Buddhists Rakhines have started set fire from the Zaillya Para (Paik Seik Ywa) since 11:00 PM of last night. About 25 houses were burnt down and 5 Rohingyas were killed. Total about 5000 Rohingyas have become homeless for the above atrocities in Zaillya Para and Thayet Aouk.

Mrauk-U, 11:50 AM, Muslim villages, Baldi Para (Purin Ywa) and Paung Tauk are under set fire by Buddhist Rakhines, at present. There may have death and injure persons.

Addition to, Rakhines warned that all Rohingya villages of Min Bya and Mrauk-U will be burned down in this evening. Rohingyas are helpless and friendless, today. So, Rakhine extremists dare to terrorize continuously. Neither Myanmar Central Government nor International Communities interest to protect world’s most persecuted minority, Rohingya due to assist President Thein Sein’s reforms.



Rohingya Activist
**************************************************************


 

RB News Desk

In order to make the whole Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) Islam Free Zone, Myanmar government is fully plotting and backing the Rakhine Extremists and Terrorists to try all the possible means to fulfill the overall objectives setup since many decades after independence. Every single event related to recent Rakhine Violence shows the proofs. One of the latest events is:

On 21st October, 2012, at 11:15pm, about Five Thousand Rakhine and Mrama Gyi (Bawr Gwa) extremists and terrorists from Min Bya Township, Rakhine State, set on fire a Rohingya village, Pike Thay Ywa, in the same township. More than Twenty Rohingya houses were burnt down to ash. These extremists and terrorists also chopped a Rohingya with sharp knife, who is now very serious, and threw iron arrows to those Rohingyas who were running away in order to escape from fire. Due to these arrows, scores were seriously injured. In the said village, there were only five military members who tried as a show to control the mob. Basing on this violence, it proves that government imposed Section-144 is not applicable for Buddhists of any race (only applicable for Rohingyas) as this reporting event happened within the hour of Section-144.

Again, on 22nd October, 2012 (i.e. today), at 6:30am, the same Rakhine Extremists and Terrorists set on fire to another Rohingya village, Pike Myaung – The Yet Oak, in the same township. Updated information up to this reporting hour (10:30am), the village is under burning condition. It is worried that if the whole village is burnt into ashes, more than hundred houses will be destroyed and the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will be too much. In addition to these two events, this mob is trying to surround another Rohingya village, Kyeik Taung, in the same township at 8:30am of today. The information of the consequences of this last event is under collecting process.

All the information was collected by interviewing localities of the said villages.

Reported by Rohingya Youths

RB News Desk

Tonight, the Rohingya fishermen village (Zaillya Para) in Min Bya Township of Arakan, Burma is under attacked by about 5000 Magh terrorists. According to telephone talk, when this message is written, 4 of the homes have been burnt to ash and other 19 others are blazing. 5 people have been confirmed died and unknown other casualties yet. It does not seem any security forces giving protections to the villagers since the offensive was broken out. Rohingyas are fearlessly killed in this way every days life by Buddhist extremist Magh in Arakan but international community including UN never considered to take the responsibility on giving protection to these world most persecuted Muslim.

It is very misfortune for the world Muslim too for being failures in identifying the violence as Genocide or Apartheid or Ethnic Cleansing. World leaders come to pay visit in Burma one after another and said they have urged the government to stop the violence and respect the human rights for every people living in Arakan. They also comment by saying as the response from Burmese quasi government as satisfactory or positive.

Now, it is clear that no US, UK, EU and ASEAN will take any measure to move against genocide in Burma against Rohingya but Rohingya for themselves should be claimed their own responsibility to give the protection to their community people.

Ko Ko Linn

 Dr. Tim Chambless, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, addresses attendees at the “Voices for Rohingya: Stop the Genocide!” lecture in the Union on Thursday night.

The Muslim Student Association and Miles for Water collaborated at a presentation in the Union on Thursday night to raise awareness about a genocide occurring in Burma.

“Not many people know the specifics of the genocide, much less that it’s happening or why it’s happening,” said Faeiza Javed, president of the Muslim Student Association and a student in social work.

The presentation began with a summary of the Rohingya, a group of Muslim people residing in the Arakan region of Burma, and a brief rundown of their history, including issues pertaining to their displacement.

“The Rohingya are in what is now Burma and they’ve been there all along. But when Burma became Burma, every leader since then has mistreated them,” said Gerald Brown, the director of Refugee Services in Utah. “I think it’s pretty clear that it’s because they look different than the people in Burma now and they’re of a different religion.”

Brown said that one of the main problems that Rohingya refugees are often confronted with is not being considered refugees by the country they flee to — countries that don’t want to follow the international law on how to treat refugees.

Tim Chambless, a professor of political science, summarized different acts of genocide in the last 200 years all over the world, including the extermination of the Jewish people and other groups during the Holocaust, tribal violence in Rwanda and the enslavement of black people in the United States.

“I’ll start with the definition of genocide. It’s a terrible word with terrible synonyms: murder, massacre … Slaughter, ethnic cleansing, the extermination of an ethnic group,” he said. “The tragic fact is that genocide has a long history.”
Chambless said that numbers on how many millions of people have been victims of genocide or ethnic cleansing are disputed.

“When we look at these numbers, they aren’t just numbers — they’re people. They’re mothers, fathers, children with goals and aspirations like most of us,” said Hussein Mohammed, the host of the evening.

Iqbal Hossain, president of the Islamic Society in Salt Lake, concluded the presentation, talking about Muslims today and how they are often perceived by the media.

“In my humble opinion, it is imprudent to color the genocide in Myanmar as a Muslim issue,” he said. “[This] is because it’s a crime against humanity.”

Hossain said that God created people into human beings first, then made us into different tribes, races, religions and colors.

“Myanmar authorities should cease human rights violations against the Rohingya and Bangladesh should stick to its duties under the U.N. Convention on the Protection of Refugees by accepting boats of Rohingya refugees and allowing them to settle in refugee camps until they are granted full citizenship rights in Myanmar,” Javed said.

The point of the presentation was to raise awareness for the issues and also encourage attendees to sign and send an appeal letter to the local government officials, the U.N. Security Council and the parliaments of Myanmar Bangladesh.

The appeal urges the Myanmar Parliament to pass legislation that grants full citizenship to the Rohingya, which will include granting of all rights of citizens of Myanmar, including the right to hold land titles, travel and other rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.


Contact Ainsley Cook at a.cook@chronicle.utah.edu

On 20th October, 2012, at 9:00pm, a group of Nasaka from Pa-Nyaung Pin Gyi (Daung Kharli) Nasaka camp, Maungdaw south, entered to Gawdu Tha Yah village tract, Naw Yah Fara, Maungdaw south, and chased three Rohingya youths to arrest. These Rohingyas were walking about in the village road since the Section-144 effects from 10:00pm to 4:00am. But, from the point of Nasaka, the time does not matter at all if it is related to Rohingyas. Fortunate to these three Rohingyas, they were able to escape from the arrest by running away. This Nasaka group intentionally and falsely informed to Sector (7) Commander after the hour effect of Section-144 (which was after 10:00pm) that all the villagers attempted to do something wrong to them. The Sector Commander sent another group of Nasaka to join the first group. When both groups were in place, they angrily surrounded the village. At 12:00am, Nasaka knocked the gate of a Rohingya house. No sooner did the owner open the gate than Nasaka fired two bullets to the owner directly and he died on the spot. In addition to this, Nasaka arrested three of his own sons and one son-in-law. The dead person is identified as: U Abdul Hakim (F) U Inneah Amin, 72 years. The arrestees are:

1. Abdul Aziz (F) U Abdul Hakim 25 years 

2. Abdul Hamid (F) U Abdul Hakim 18 years 

3. Mohammed Roshid (F) U Abdul Hakim 15 years 

4. Mohammed Rofique, son-in-law of U Abdul Hakim 35 years

Moreover, two houses, one opposite and another adjacent to this house, were raided continuously and arrested five more Rohingyas. They are:

1. Roshid Ahmed (F) U Esark 30 years 

2. Eliyas (F) U Abu Tahayr 15 years 

3. Noor Kobir (F) U Abu Tahayr ? 

4. Aman Ullah (F) U Abdu Shukkur 22 years 

5. Salim Ullah (F) U Fozol ?

All the nine arrestees were brought to and detained in their camp while the shot corpse was animally thrown in the paddy field. Nasaka guarded the corpse till 2:00pm of today (21st October, 2012) and handed over the corpse to Maungdaw General Hospital while the arrestees were handed over to Myanmar Police Force (Maungdaw Station). Nasaka told the remaining family members that the corpse will be given back in the evening of today. Up to this reporting time (7:00pm), the corpse has not been handed over to family for bury.

Hereby, it can be evaluated that the dead figure of Rakhine violence (78 persons only) announced by Myanmar Central Government is constant, theoretical and un-updateable how-much-ever more dead cases occur.

All these information were gathered from a close relative of the dead Rohingya.

RB News Desk

Muslim Rohingyas stand outside a school sheltering Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the village of Theik Kayk Pyim, located on the outskirts of Sittwe, capital of Myanmar’s western Rakhine state. — AFP

SITTWE — Barbed wire and armed troops guard the Muslim quarter of a violence-wracked city in western Myanmar, a virtual prison for the families that have inhabited its narrow streets for generations.

The security forces outside the ghetto in the Rakhine state capital Sittwe are not there to stop its residents leaving — although few dare to anyway — but to protect them from Buddhist mobs after an outburst of sectarian hatred.

In the nearby city center, life has regained some semblance of normality since the authorities imposed a state of emergency in June in response to Buddhist-Muslim clashes that left dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless.

But inside the tense enclave of Aung Mingalar, hundreds of families from the Rohingya Muslim minority group say they are living in fear for their lives.

“Rakhines will attack us today,” one man told AFP at Friday prayers last week.

The same evening groups of Rakhine Buddhists — who have also accused the Rohingya of attacks on their communities — gathered outside the barriers, prompting troops to fire warning shots and sparking panic inside.

On three separate days earlier in the week, hundreds of ethnic Rakhines — sometimes led by Buddhist monks — had marched near the perimeter demanding the “relocation” of Aung Mingalar.

Their shouts were clearly audible by people within the ghetto, who could only imagine what was happening outside.

“In my opinion, living in the Sahara desert in Africa would be better than living in this situation,” said 28-year-old Mohamed Said, tears welling in his eyes.

“We cannot suffer anymore. We have lost everything but our lives. We are human beings as well,” a crying Said said.

Between 3,000 and 8,000 people are thought to live in an area of roughly 0.5 sq km, where no traffic circulates and almost all shops have been shuttered.

Supplies of food — mainly rice — are provided by the authorities and some benevolent Buddhist locals, forced to deliver aid discreetly for fear of fanning local resentments. But there is not enough to eat.

Some Rohingya have dared to breach the barriers — which vary from bamboo and barbed wire to simple security cordons — hiding their faces under hoods to prevent people identifying them.

But most people have not ventured outside in four months.

“This bamboo fence is like a psychological barrier, symbolizing the fear that separates the two worlds,” said Chris Lewa, head of the Arakan Project, which campaigns for Rohingya rights.

Calls are growing for the Muslim quarter to be moved.

“If the Aung Mingalar quarter stays in the city centre, the problem will get worse,” said Nya Na, a leader of a monk association.

“I don’t want the two communities to fight. It is risky for them to stay.”

The stateless Rohingya have long been considered by the United Nations to be one of the most persecuted minorities on the planet.

The segregation recalls South African apartheid in the 1980s, “but worse” because the Rohingya are unable to leave their camps, Lewa said.

“Freedom of movement was always an issue for the Rohingya, but it is an extreme restriction now,” said Sarnata Reynolds, of aid group Refugees International.

“Unofficially there seems to be widespread agreement that the camps will likely be there for three years or more, and that it might be the beginning of a permanent segregation.” — 

Sources Here:

Date 19.10.2012 According to the source of ERC, Rohingya Muslims of Alethankyaw were summoned to attend a meeting arranged by Border Control (Na Sa Ka) area 8 commander Aung Naing Oo and police officers today. But no one appeared to the meeting. So they send security forces to the village and herded all Rohingya Muslims they found on the road and in the village to the meeting ground. The area commander told the people that they have to live together with Bengali Rakhine people, under their command and obey their orders like slaves because Bengali Rakhines are citizens of the country and Rohingya Muslims are aliens who are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Anyone who disobeys Bengali Rakhine will be severely punished. They said that whoever unwilling to live under this condition should leave the country forever. When a Rohingya Muslim raised the question why authorities are arresting innocent Muslims who are not committed any crimes, the authority answered that it was because Rakhines had complained about those peoples and there were 81 more peoples in their list to be arrested.

Rohingya Muslims always intend to peacefully coexist with ethnic Rakhines as they have lived for many years but not in the condition the authorities described. Rohingya Muslims need equal citizenship as Rakhines. We Rohingyas are not aliens but citizens of the country. We Rohingyas are the natives of our mother land Arakan. So we seek urgent intervention from international community to solve this problem.

About 3,000 Rohingya Muslims living in the temporary shelters in the shen khali Village of Rathedaung Township are in dire situation. They are starving and need urgent food and medication supply. We request NGOs to help and save these peoples from starvation.

Muslims in Arakan State are decided not to perform Qurbani (Sacrifice) this year one of the most important days in Islam. Since Rohingya Muslims are not allowed to pray compulsory five time prayer in Mosque they say that they should better refrain.

ERC Media  

Media@theerc.net 

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U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar, Derek Mitchell, talks during a news conference about U.S. humanitarian assistance for Rakhine State, at the U.S. Embassy in Yangon October 19, 2012. Mitchell said on Friday that the U.S. government will donate $2.73 million to U.N. responders in Rakhine State. Ongoing fighting with ethnic minority groups and violence against ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state has killed at least 77 people and left 90,000 homeless since June 2012. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun (MYANMAR - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Credit: REUTERS

Published date: 10/19/2012

Sources Here:

Through Timothy Dwight College’s Chubb Fellowship, Nobel Prize laureate and internationally renowned democracy and human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a speech at Sprague Hall that drew roughly 700 attendees. Photo by Joyce

This is the first piece in Erin McDonough’s new WEEKEND Blog column, “International Bulletin: A quick dispatch for the curious Eli.”

There’s no doubt that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has a sterling record. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, she recently re-entered the political sphere following nearly two decades of house arrest. Now she leads Burma’s chief opposition party in addition to serving in the country’s parliament. Considered something of a living legend, she is reverently referred to as “The Lady” by the international community. Jason Burke of The Guardian recently compare her peacekeeping fame to that of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. On Sept. 27, having traveled to campus as the recipient of Yale’s Chubb Fellowship, Suu Kyi addressed the Yale community about the virtue and necessity of proper rule of law.

“For us, human rights and rule of law went together,” Suu Kyi said. “Unless there is rule of law, there can be no guarantee of human rights… Rule of law is what rules our lives from day to day. If it is rule of unjust laws, then we are ruled unjustly from day to day.”

These poignant words aren’t falling on deaf ears. In the past year, Burma’s government has made critical changes for the better — it has eased censorship, halted the construction of a controversial Chinese dam and respected the NLD’s sweep of the nation’s April by-elections. Following Thein Sein’s election to the Burmese presidency in March 2011, more than 600 political prisoners were released in a demonstration of the nation’s burgeoning “love and sympathy." As a sign of its continuing commitment to political change, the regime released 500 more prisoners this past September.

Still, Suu Kyi’s idyllic rendering of rule of law points to an obvious irony within Burma: The nation’s Buddhist majority — comprising 60 percent of the population —is benefiting from the country’s progression toward democracy while the nation’s minorities suffer from persecution. Burma’s Rohingya Muslim population bears the brunt of ongoing sectarian discrimination.

A bit of context: A recent UNHCR report approximates that 800,000 Rohingya still reside in Burma, with an additional 400,000 refugees in neighboring Bangladesh, and 200,000+ across Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia. Despite having lived in Burma for generations, the Rohingya are denied Burmese citizenship, under the country’s 1982 Citizenship Act. Additionally, the government limits their access to higher education, equitable marriage policies, land ownership and labor rights.

Last May, three Muslim Rohingya raped a Buddhist woman. The incident served as a catalyst for increased sectarian violence in the southwest state of Rakhine, where the majority of the Rohingya live. Thus far, Human Rights Watch reports that as many as 100,000 more Rohingya have become refugees as a result of this conflict. This group will join the already-overpopulated regional refugee camps currently home to about 300,000 Rohingya.

Speaking of his refugee policy, Burmese President Thein Sein noted, “We will send them away if any third country would accept them.”

Indeed, Rohingya refugees are frequently turned away at the borders of Bangladesh. Boatloads of people are often left floating along the Naf

River Delta, literally stranded between two countries. In the midst of this ethnic conflict, just where does Suu Kyi’s “rule of law” fit in?

Perhaps justifiably, Suu Kyi has received censure of a manner rarely associated with her name for her silence on the plight of the Rohingya. Many frame her ambiguity in the context of Burma’s upcoming elections. Francis Wade of Al-Jazeera explained it as such:

“What lies behind her silence? When pressed on the subject in the wake of the June rioting, she talked of a need to ‘clarify’ citizenship laws and urged the government to grant equal rights to ‘all ethnic minorities.'" Wade wrote. “It was deliberately vague and diversionary — Rohingya are not considered an ethnic minority by the powers that by in Myanmar, meaning she quietly avoided angering her supporters.”

Though we expect explicit condemnation of ethnic violence from one of the world’s leading pro-democracy advocates, is that fair? Is omission a sin?

Surprisingly, Suu Kyi came close to addressing the concerns about ethnic violence in her speech to the Yale community.

“Some have questioned whether it was right to put rule of law before end to ethnic conflict,” she said. “We did that because we believe that — practically speaking — we cannot bring an end to ethnic conflict unless there is rule of law. Unless we can assure our ethnic nationalities that justice will not only be done but seen to be done for them, we would not be able to support any peace process with confidence.”

The reality is that Suu Kyi faces an election in 2015 which will be determined by a Buddhist electorate. Just as “rule of law” paves the way for ethnic justice, so too could Suu Kyi’s election pave the way for the termination of the Rohingya conflict. Though it’s an admittedly optimistic view, Suu Kyi’s silence could be read as indicative of a long-term vision for Burma’s development and symptomatic of playing that ever-sneaky political game — elections.

Burma may be evolving, but it is far from stable. I’m inclined to think that Suu Kyi understands this well. Well enough, at least, to comprehend the strategic value of silence.

Sources Here:

On 18th October, 2012 (i.e. today), at 8:30am, four Rohingya youths from Buggone Nah, Maungdaw south, were captured by 22 Bengali Rakhine Natala villagers while the said youths went to nearby hill for cutting grass for their household cattle. Out of 22 Bengali Rakhine Natala villagers, 20 equipped with knives and daggers and the rest two were with M-16 guns. These two guns are possessed by Myanmar Police Force camped in Huta Bonnya, in the same village tract. After capture, the victims were first tied up with thick ropes and brought to the Natala Village. The victims were inhumanly tortured. As a preparation for killing these Rohingyas, the gang sat for a table of alcohol. While the gang was engaged in drinking alcohol, one of the victims luckily got eased in tie. After a long struggling, he himself untied his tie and could help another two victims to untie their ties. By the time, the gang realized the victims’ effort to escape themselves; the gang chased the freed victims. One victim is so unlucky that he could not escape from the tie. Nobody knows about the fortune of the remaining victim till the time of reporting. The freed three victims reached their respective homes at dusk. The parents and relatives of the remaining victim reported the issue to the Military camped in Nyaung Chaung. Military replied that it is none of their business and to solve the problem by own way. This incident report was collected from neighbors of the victims.

The victims are identified as:

1. Mohammed Hasson (F) U Abul Hashim 26 years (the remaining victims in capture)

2. Iman Husson (F) U Lay Rhdu 22 years

3. Mohammed Roshid (F) U Abdullah 20 years

4. Mohammed Shah (F) U Abdu Malek 30 years

RB News Desk: